Let’s Go Bowling: Wisconsin Bowl Projections from Around the Web

At the beginning of the season, there was a lot of promise that the Wisconsin Badgers could land another high-profile college bowl game. There are some out there who even thought Wisconsin would have a slim chance of sneaking into the College Football Playoff. Well, after a loss to LSU in the opening game, all that promise has changed. And it shows in the latest bowl projections for the Badgers.

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After the loss to the Tigers and to Northwestern, the Badgers find themselves with two losses and far from playoff contention. Wisconsin has a way to go and must scratch and claw their way back if they want to play in a more prolific bowl game on either New Year’s Eve or New Year’s Day.

Here are six bowl projections for the Badgers from around the internet. I must warn you, some projections are not typical to what Wisconsin would normally play in.

Brett McMurphy (ESPN.com)-New Era Pinstripe Bowl: Wisconsin would face a former colleague in Paul Chryst and the Pittsburgh Panthers. The Pinstripe Bowl is nice and playing in New York and Yankees Stadium would be a great experience for the Badgers. But it’s the Pinstripe Bowl, a game that is all of four years old and isn’t regarded as a high-profile bowl. It would provide a great storyline with Wisconsin facing their former offensive coordinator however.

Mark Schlabach (ESPN.com)-TaxSlayer Bowl: Well I think it might be a slight step up from the Pinstripe Bowl. Schlabach has Wisconsin facing off with Missouri, providing another matchup with an SEC team. We all know how that has gone in years past. This bowl has plenty of history as it was once dubbed the Gator Bowl, dating all the way back to 1946. Not only do I like this matchup for Bucky, but it also provides the Badger faithful with another trip to Florida for the New Year.

Phil Steele-Outback Bowl: Steele has the same two teams facing off as Schlabach does and in the same state, just a different bowl. There’s something I’ve always liked about the Outback Bowl. Historically speaking, this bowl game has provided some great games on New Year’s Day and usually pits two very evenly matched teams. Wisconsin has not played in this bowl game since 2008 when they lost 21-17 to Tennessee. Of the three bowl projections thus far, I like this one the best for the Badgers.

Jason Kirk (SB Nation)-Citrus Bowl: For those that my not know, the Citrus Bowl is replacing the Capital One Bowl after Capital One decided to take over sponsorship for the Orange Bowl. With that being said, this would provide a tough game for Wisconsin as Kirk has them facing off with Auburn. A high-powered offense and solid defense would really test the Badgers. But again, it provides another trip to Florida for the Badger faithful to work on their tan.

Bill Bender (Sporting News)-National University Holiday Bowl: Yes, this is how this season has gone that people are projecting Wisconsin for the Holiday Bowl. Bender has the Badgers going up against Arizona, an up-and-coming Pac-12 team that knocked off then No. 2 Oregon in Eugene. The Wildcats have one of the best passing attacks in the country and their run game is nothing to scoff at. The venue and location may not be ideal, but I like the notion of these two teams squaring off.

Tom Dienhart (BTN.com)-Holiday Bowl: It may be the Holiday Bowl again, but Dienhart projects the Badgers to try to get revenge against Arizona State. For those who do not know what I am talking about (and how can you not) or those that want to jog their memory a bit, take a trip down memory lane here. Another typical Pac-12 team that can pass well and put up points, and their defense isn’t all too bad either. It would be another great matchup of Wisconsin’s run game going up against an up-tempo passing attack.

For the most part, these bowl projections are what you would expect from a decent Wisconsin team that is looking to get back to the Big Ten championship game if they are able to shore everything up. The two Holiday Bowl projections look really nice, as does Steele’s projection of Wisconsin taking on Missouri in the Outback Bowl.

Do you agree with these six bowl projections? Where would you project the Badgers to play this year? Comment below with what bowl you would like to see Wisconsin play in.